Consideration of soil as a living ecosystem offers the potential for innovative and sustainable solutions to geotechnical problems. This is a new paradigm for many in geotechnical engineering. Realising the potential of this paradigm requires a multidisciplinary approach that embraces biology and geochemistry to develop techniques for beneficial ground modification. This paper assesses the progress, opportunities, and challenges in this emerging field. Biomediated geochemical processes, which consist of a geochemical reaction regulated by subsurface microbiology, currently being explored include mineral precipitation, gas generation, biofilm formation and biopolymer generation. For each of these processes, subsurface microbial processes are employed to create an environment conducive to the desired geochemical reactions among the minerals, organic matter, pore fluids, and gases that constitute soil. Geotechnical applications currently being explored include cementation of sands to enhance bearing capacity and liquefaction resistance, sequestration of carbon, soil erosion control, groundwater flow control, and remediation of soil and groundwater impacted by metals and radionuclides. Challenges in biomediated ground modification include upscaling processes from the laboratory to the field, in situ monitoring of reactions, reaction products and properties, developing integrated biogeochemical and geotechnical models, management of treatment by-products, establishing the durability and longevity/reversibility of the process, and education of engineers and researchers.

Consideration of soil as a living ecosystem offers the potential for innovative and sustainable solutions to geotechnical problems. This is a new paradigm for many in geotechnical engineering. Realising the potential of this paradigm requires a multidisciplinary approach that embraces biology and geochemistry to develop techniques for beneficial ground modification. This paper assesses the progress, opportunities, and challenges in this emerging field. Biomediated geochemical processes, which consist of a geochemical reaction regulated by subsurface microbiology, currently being explored include mineral precipitation, gas generation, biofilm formation and biopolymer generation. For each of these processes, subsurface microbial processes are employed to create an environment conducive to the desired geochemical reactions among the minerals, organic matter, pore fluids, and gases that constitute soil. Geotechnical applications currently being explored include cementation of sands to enhance bearing capacity and liquefaction resistance, sequestration of carbon, soil erosion control, groundwater flow control, and remediation of soil and groundwater impacted by metals and radionuclides. Challenges in biomediated ground modification include upscaling processes from the laboratory to the field, in situ monitoring of reactions, reaction products and properties, developing integrated biogeochemical and geotechnical models, management of treatment by-products, establishing the durability and longevity/reversibility of the process, and education of engineers and researchers.

A bioretention unit is a simple, plant‐ and soil‐based, low‐impact treatment and infiltration facility for treating stormwater runoff in developed areas. Nitrate, however, is not attenuated in conventional bioretention facilities. Thus, this study systematically evaluated a reengineered concept of bioretention for nitrate removal via microbial denitrification, which incorporates a continuously submerged anoxic zone with an overdrain. Experimental studies were performed in four phases. In the first two phases, column studies demonstrated that, overall, newspaper is the best solid‐phase electron‐donor substrate for denitrification out of the set studied (alfalfa, leaf mulch compost, newspaper, sawdust, wheat straw, wood chips, and elemental sulfur) based on superior nitrate removal and effluent water quality. The nitrate loading and hydraulic loading studies in the second phase provided design information. In the third phase, system viability after 30‐ and 84‐day dormant periods was evaluated in column studies, demonstrating that newspaper‐supported biological denitrification should be effective under conditions of intermittent loadings. Finally, in the fourth phase, pilot‐scale bioretention studies demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed design, showing nitrate plus nitrite mass removals of up to 80%. These results indicate that engineered bioretention for the removal of nitrogen from stormwater runoff has the potential for successful application as an urbanstormwater treatment practice.

Control of nitrate from urban stormwater runoff can have a significant impact on nitrate levels in local waters. One option for providing treatment to urban stormwater runoff is bioretention, a simple plant-and soil-based low impact treatment/infiltration facility. The goal of this study is to re-engineer the concept of bioretention to remove nitrate from urban runoff. Specifically, a modification to incorporate a continuously submerged anoxic zone with an overdrain is being evaluated for its capacity for nitrate removal via denitrification. Work to date has focused on selecting an electron donor and carbon source that will promote significant denitrification and be stable for extended periods of time in the subsurface. The electron donor and carbon source to be used in bioretention must be readily metabolizable, as well as low cost and readily available. Two sets of organic substrates for chemoorganotrophic denitrifying bacteria were evaluated: Set #1, alfalfa, newspaper, and leaf mulch compost; and Set #2, sawdust, wood chips, and wheat straw. An inorganic substrate for chemolithotrophic denitrifying bacteria, sulfur, was evaluated in experimental Set #3, in three configurations: large sulfur particles (2 to 2.36 mm) alone, large sulfur particles with limestone, and small sulfur particles (0.6 to 1.18 mm) with limestone. All materials were uniformly mixed with washed silica sand and transferred into 40 cm long by 6.4 cm inner diameter Plexiglas columns. A total of 4 columns were used for each experimental set, including a control column packed with washed silica sand only. The columns were seeded with the supernatant of settled secondary effluent and fed anoxic synthetic stormwater runoff. Based on the Set#1 and Set#2 experiments for the organic substrates, excellent nitrate removal was observed in columns containing alfalfa, newspaper, wheat straw, wood chips, and sawdust. However, based on total nitrogen removal and other water quality characteristics, newspaper and wood chips are the best candidates out of these sets. In Set#3, significantly better nitrate removal occurred in the column with the small sulfur particles/limestone compared to the large sulfur particles, probably as a result of the increased surface area of the sulfur available per unit volume of reactor. Further studies will be performed using the electron donors that gave the best nitrate removal efficiency and effluent quality in the experiments reported here: newspaper, wood chips, and small sulfur particles/limestone.

Biological processes may provide great and previously unexplored opportunities for cost-effective, in situ improvement of the engineering properties of soil. A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the changes in geomechanical properties of sand attributable to the formation of calcium precipitates induced through ureolysis catalyzed by Sporosarcina pasteurii (S. pasteurii). Specifically, direct shear and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) tests were conducted on sand specimens subjected to treatment by growing, resting, and dead S. pasteurii cells in completely stirred tank reactors and completely mixed biofilm reactors, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy analyses were also conducted to evaluate microbially induced precipitation. The results of the study show that the bacterial cells effectively improved the geomechanical properties of the sand. Growing cells improved the sand properties owing to microbially induced precipitation and related pore volume changes, whereas dead and resting cells generally caused smaller increases in friction angle and bearing strength. Analysis of the sand from CBR specimens treated with growing cells demonstrated that the microbial and chemical processes both contributed to the clogging of the porous medium.